Monday April 22 is Earth Day – and unlike quirky holidays that might not work for everyone, all brands can take part in this particular day of observation. In fact, they should. Here’s why – and how.
It’s an Opportunity to Seize
Even if you don’t believe climate change is affecting the planet – or that it’s even a thing – Earth Day offers a huge opportunity for brands to be part of the conversation. It’s just good business to try – because there are a lot of people talking about a lot of things:
From educational events, to organized clean-ups, to simply celebrating the beauty of nature surrounding us, Earth Day inspires social chatter. If your audience is part of it, you want to be sure you’re listening – and taking note of the topics that resonate most deeply.
Additionally, you have to recognize that if your audience can’t interact with you about Earth Day, they’ll interact with your competitors instead.
Look for Passionate Audience Segments
Every popular topic represents a potential audience segment you can reach by being specific and personal. For example, bees are a prominent topic in the world cloud above. Though the audience discussing these crucial insects is relatively small, they’re passionate. And brands are taking notice.
Bees are vital pollinators for our food supply, so the fact that we’re losing them – and other threatened species – in massive numbers should be a bit alarming, right? Brands making strides to #SaveTheBees are making headlines too. Are you one of them, or are your competitors getting all the good press?
Don’t forget to explore channels your brand may not always think of. There’s a core of passionate fans of The Sims (Simmers) on Tumblr, reblogging about this subject as well:
Learn from Influencers and Become One
It’s not just individuals and celebrities that are influential online. When dealing with a topic this broad, brands can become influencers themselves. You can also find new audiences and connect by taking note of which brands are popping up as influential in your social analytics:
There’s a big focus on children and Earth Day, as evidenced by brands like Peppa Pig, GoldieBlox, and The Powerpuff Girls in the Influencers widget above. Fans of Pokémon GO are also breaking through thanks to Niantic’s announcement of their second annual Earth Day event.
If it makes sense, consider messaging and content that reaches parents, and offers activities, info, and events for children. These are your future customers, after all.
Of course, you can use influencers in the traditional way as well – to help amplify your brand’s commitment to protecting the planet.
We’re not seeing as much brand visibility as we could in our Earth Day searches – so the brands that take initiative stand to win big. Especially given the resoundingly positive sentiment around Earth Day.
Plan an Event – Even a Virtual One
Earth Day events abound, and brands should be taking part in any way they can – whether that means hosting, or sponsoring. The largest Earth Day celebration is taking place at Earthx2019 Expo – where AR and VR technology will provide an immersive educational experience for attendees.
But there are plenty of other events happening at the local level, and supporting them can be great for your brand – especially SMBs. Use geofencing and sentiment analysis to see where you’re a fit, and get in there!
It’s Not Too Late
Even if Earth Day has never been on your brand’s radar, it’s not too late to start. Social listening and sentiment analysis will tell you what your audience wants, which gives you a chance to deliver.
Could your business operations be “greener?” Could you give back more to local sustainability efforts? Whatever you decide to do, be sure your audience is with you by keeping an eye on social sentiment as you go.
Brands may fear opening the floodgates of consumer criticism by inadvertently shining light on areas where they aren’t doing enough. But focusing on positive actions, and listening to and communicating with your audience, can work wonders.
And you just might save the world.
Wondering how sentiment analysis helps keep brands safe from PR crises? We’ll show you – just get in touch!